Nick Jr. Show: Ni Hao, Kai-lan
Monday, February 25th, 2008
Ni Hao, Kai-lan is a relatively new Nick Jr. show for preschoolers (~ages 2 to 5). It was originally supposed to start back in October 2007, but it did not first air until earlier this month on February 7, 2008 (Chinese New Year’s). The main character in the show is Kai-lin, who is a 5 year-old Chinese-American girl. The show presents Chinese culture as well as incorporates some Chinese Mandarin words. The show encourages viewers to interact and help develop their problem solving skills by helping the characters find solutions to their dilemmas. This show builds on Nick Jr.’s other shows that show multicultural children (Dora the Explorer and Go, Deigo,Go) and presents it in a new context of Chinese American culture. This show focuses a lot on emotions such as understanding emotions and how to control your emotions. This emphasis is based on the Chinese cultural tradition that it is a good thing to be calm and content. The context of the show’s characters being preschoolers and the episodes events being relevant to preschoolers today makes it easy for preschool viewers to relate to the characters and learn about emotions and relevant social skills.
The Nick Jr. website for this show also has some great activities to do with your preschooler to have fun beyond watching this show, such as Paper Lantern templates and a Paper Dragon craft.
The show airs weekdays on Nickelodeon at 11am Pacific and Eastern time.
Episode List as of 2/15/08:
Episode 1: Dragonboat Festival
Episode 2: Twirly Whirly Flyers
Episode 3: Tolee’s Rhyme Time
Episode 4: The Ant Playground
Episode 5: Wait, Hoho, Wait!
Episode 6: Kai-lan’s Campout
Episode 7: Happy Chinese New Year!
On September 3rd, 2007, PBS Kids will debut WordWorld, a new 3-D animated series that encourages kids to become friends with words. Funded in part by the U.S. Department of Education, WordWorld makes learning to read fun. In the series words are brought to life through a patent-pending methodology that embeds words into the objects they represent. When a word is formed correctly, it morphs into the character or object that it represents, creating a new learning experience. The WordFriends–Dog, Sheep, Frog, Duck, Pig, and Ant–help kids explore the world of words while also focusing on social-emotional lessons and literacy-based skills such as letter recognition and phonological awareness.
Thanks to my routine being all out of whack, I’m a bit late bringing you the information about Nick Jr.’s four week long Dance Party. The big party started on Monday, the 23rd, but it will continue through Friday, August 17th. During the Nick Jr. Dance Party, you can catch music and dance themed episodes from Dora the Explorer, The Wonder Pets, Blue’s Clues, and The Backyardigans. Each week, Nick Jr. will also be premiering one never-before-seen music video from the upcoming new series Yo Gabba Gabba!, which will debut in August.
Nick Jr. is kicking off summer with four new episodes of your favorite preschool shows. New episodes of Dora the Explorer, Go Diego Go!, the Backyardigans, and the Wonder Pets will air during Beach Party Week Monday, June 25th through June 29th. Catch a new episode each day during Beach Party Week, then watch them all again in a mini-marathon on Friday from 9:00-11:00 a.m ET/PT. The episodes will air as follows:
I’m pretty sure I’ve never met a little girl who didn’t love fairy tales. What’s not to like about beautiful princesses and magical stories? I even know a few boys who have been known to sit down and read a fairy tale or watch one on TV (just don’t tell them I let the secret out). This week on Nick Jr. your little Prince or Princess can get their fill of special fairy tale episodes of their favorite shows. On Monday, May 21st, and Friday, May 25th, between 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. you can watch fairy tale specials of Dora the Explorer, Blue’s Clues, and Max and Ruby.
PBS Kids Sprout announced last week that they will be adding a new afternoon block, The Let’s Go Show, to their preschool line-up. The new interactive show will debut on Monday, June 25th, and will encourage kids to ask questions, be curious about the world around them, and participate in a daily musical adventure.
May 7-11 is Mystery week on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Mickey and his pals need some super sleuth skills to help them solve a new mystery every day.
Johnny and the Sprites is a refreshing change of pace from the usual animated shows that grace my television. It combines live-action, puppetry, and music sure to entertain your preschooler. The full-length show premiered on Playhouse Disney earlier this year after positive viewer reactions to the five-minute shorts airing on the Disney Channel. It was recently renewed for a second season that will begin filming in the Fall of 2007.
It’s A Big Big World is an interesting title for a show that focuses on a single tree community. However, when you look a little closer, you see that the tree represents the world on a larger scale. The World Tree is home to a variety of animals including Snook, an energetic tree sloth who helps his friends learn about the world around them; Burdette, a Quetzal bird who is a bit of a know-it-all; Smooch and Winslow, a pair of sibling Marmosets who like to stir things up; Madge, a turtle with a map of the world on her shell; Bob, a Southern Tamandua who loves ants and likes to stir things up; Ick, the crabby catfish who lives in the water hole at the bottom of the tree; Oko, an old Howler Monkey and Tai Chi master; and Wartz, the agreeable Red-Eyed Tree Frog. Each animal has different characteristics and contributes to the tree community in their own way. Amazingly, all of the animals manage to get along and live in harmony, even with their differences.
The block will feature new updated versions of Care Bears and Strawberry Shortcake, as well a brand new series called Sushi Pack.
Jeffrey Conrad, Senior Vice President, Creative for American Greetings Properties states, “We are excited about bringing the new look of Care Bears to another generation of kids, as well as introducing the brand new Sushi Pack and showcasing our timeless Strawberry Shortcake through this new programming.”
